We’re weighing options on Sanusi’s probe – Kano anti-corruption chair

The role of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) in the saga that culminated in the deposition of the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, brought the anti-graft agency into the limelight. In this exclusive interview, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, the executive chairman of the commission discussed their role in reducing corruption […]

The role of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) in the saga that culminated in the deposition of the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, brought the anti-graft agency into the limelight.

In this exclusive interview, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, the executive chairman of the commission discussed their role in reducing corruption in the state, the alleged bribery video involving the state governor, the status of the case against the former emir, among other things.

Kano is one of the few states to have an agency in the mould of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), how has this helped to reduce corruption?

To say it has helped to reduce corruption in the state would be as if we were blowing our own trumpets, but the truth is always the truth.

If you look at the statistics in Kano today, we have been able to change the narrative in terms of corrupt practices.

Even the federal anti-corruption agencies will testify to the complementary role of this commission.

We have been able to inject fear of the fact that nobody is above the law.

An example of where we have made the major impact is the area of land grabbing, scams and other land-related corrupt practices like double allocation.

We have succeeded in solving nothing less than 4,000 cases of that nature, and we have been able to bring sanity into the system.

We provided anti-corruption and transparency units in all the ministries, departments and agencies, as well as established anti-corruption clubs in secondary and tertiary institutions owned by the state government.

Even when we have circumstances that portray the state in a bad light, perhaps due to the political nature of the state, I believe we are the least corrupt state in the country.

 

With the presence of federal anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Kano, how are you able to map out your jurisdiction to avoid conflict of interest?

We are complementing each other.

They provide training for our staff and certain assistance in investigation, for example, in terms of forensic analysis.

 

Speaking of perception, reference is still being made to the alleged bribery video involving the state governor; does this cast any cloud on the activities of the commission?

The entire allegation of the video could be as a result of what we are doing.

I am not saying what some people are saying is not true, because I am not the governor, but if you look at the entire scenario surrounding the video, another school of taught maybe because Ganduje says he wants anti-corruption drive in his state.

What I am saying is that Ganduje could be a victim of what we (commission) have been doing (investigating) to other people.

Also, the validity of the video is still not authenticated.

If with all we are doing somebody will say because of that allegation, the credibility of the commission is shaky, it is his own take.

But as far as we are concerned, we believe Nigeria needs institutions like this and needs proactive approach as we have been seeing in Kano.

I am one of the few anti-corruption leaders that speak on this allegation because I am in the centre stage and I cannot quantify how many attacks I receive as a result of this video.

I believe that at the end of the day, the issue will be brought to the limelight, and whether me or somebody else, the matter will be investigated.

But it is so disheartening that with all the achievements we have recorded, this perception would persist.

 

Aside this, there are insinuations that the governor is using your commission to intimidate those against him; the case of former Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II is in mind.

In Kano, about 80 per cent of people investigated by this commission are members of the current government.

We are prosecuting a serving local government chairman, a councillor, a serving commissioner (We are now at the Supreme Court on a no-case submission), and a serving permanent secretary.

Recently, we invited a special adviser to the governor, who is one of the closest to him.

If we have the audacity to investigate members of the government, and simply because we don’t want the opposition party to blame us, we don’t do our job across board, I think it means we are not serious.

I challenge them to come up with a name of any opposition member that is being investigated without any alleged offence.

The defence to all corrupt practices in Nigeria (not only in Nigeria) is to say the commission is after you because you are an opposition member.

As at today, we have our presence in all the 44 local government areas; if we are all about going after the opposition, why spend a lot of money to decentralise the agency?

 

Your commission took the centre stage during the saga that eventually led to the deposition of the former Emir of Kano, but since the deposition, not much has been heard about the cases against him. What happened and what is the status?

The deposition of the emir is one thing and the investigation is another.

The investigation was there before the deposition.

So, the deposition cannot stop the investigation.

We are filing charges on this, and it will definitely bring a shocker to those that think the commission is worthless.

As far as we are concerned, it is an investigation that will do the people of Kano State good.

Following our recommendation to the governor last month, the property is back to the Emirate Council, subject to how Family Homes will rectify all these anomalies.

Now, we are not only after the money, we are after who did what and how the law will handle it.

As it stands, there is no court order that stops us from continuing with investigation.

We are weighing a lot of options, either going to meet him (Sanusi) where he is to obtain his statement or to write to him through his lawyers.

We are weighing the legality of the option we will take.

A lot is being done and we are determined to push this case to the end.

 

Apart from this case, are there other high profile cases you have successfully prosecuted?

You know prosecution in Nigeria is a very difficult thing, especially the one that involves properties.

This is because you are fighting a battle with the most powerful ones.

It is very easy for us to investigate and prosecute less politically exposed people.

 

Can you list one or two of them?

For us to address the issue of land ministry we had to fry the big fish, which includes the commissioner, permanent secretary, and so on.

The lower courts said they had a case to answer, but in the appeal, one of them said he had no case.

So, we have to go to the Supreme Court for its decision, which will be final.

But we have smaller convictions; some in a day, just like the issue of corruption during the COVID-19.

We were able to prosecute those cases.

 

How independent is your commission, in terms of finances? Do you go to the governor cap-in-hand, or you are on the first line charge?

Section 19 of our law specifically states that it is the governor that will give us our money.

So, we get whatever we need from the governor directly.

When I first invited a commissioner for questioning, the entire cabinet went against me, but the governor stood his ground, that I should be allowed to work.

So, this commission is relatively independent.